This Sunday (May 7) the island will also play host to the 10th Laguna Phuket International Marathon, an event which each and every year draws thousands of athletes from around the world. At least 7,000 are expected on Sunday.
These regular major sporting events have long played the role of forerunners to other major sporting competitions brought to the island, now touted and promoted by government agencies after finally realising the benefits to be had through developing this form of tourism.
Last year, Phuket was the chosen venue for the fourth Asian Beach Games, a fantastic sporting event where between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes from 45 nations competed in 26 sports at six different beach locations over nine days.
The event was described by many who attended as “an outstanding success”, and even led to calls for the island to be the selected venue for a World Beach Games.
Events such as those already mentioned not only take a long time to organise, it also takes a lot of work to ensure they run smoothly and successfully, and all those involved should be credited for all their hard work ensuring that they do so.
These events draw vast amounts of people who spend money and bring a large amount of revenue.
The Asian Beach Games generated more than B2.5 billion for the province, estimated Kriengsak Suksomboon, chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce. His estimate was based on the conservative guess that each athlete, official and visitor supporting the event spent a meagre B5,000 each.
While the number of the foreign tourists visiting Phuket has dropped in recent months, events such as the Rugby 10s, the Laguna Marathon and the Asian Beach Games bolster the industry by providing another reason for tourists to come to Phuket, and to return time and again.
Thailand and Phuket should focus more on bringing sporting events to the island so that tourists continue to come to the province, and it has already been proved that we can host such events with the maximum of success.